On January 14th, China defended its military aircraft’s unauthorized entry into South Korea’s Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ), claiming it was “routine flight activity.”
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Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said in a regular briefing that the entry of two Chinese and four Russian military aircraft into KADIZ, which led to the deployment of South Korean fighter jets, was a “routine flight activity performed by Chinese military aircraft in international waters,” adding, “There is nothing to criticize heavily. It is also in line with international law.”
According to a report by the state-run China Central Television (CCTV) on the 14th, a total of six aircraft, including two Chinese and four Russian military aircraft, entered the East Sea KADIZ from 11:53 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. that day. These aircraft temporarily entered the South Sea and KADIZ from the airspace north of Ulleung Island, then exited through the airspace east of Dokdo. The entry time was about 17 minutes, and it is said that there was no violation of the airspace.
In response, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said, “Our military identified Chinese and Russian military aircraft entering KADIZ beforehand. We also deployed Air Force fighter jets and took tactical measures to prepare for unexpected situations.”
An Air Defense Identification Zone is a line set up to identify and respond early to military aircraft approaching national airspace. It is a different concept from the sovereignty issue of individual countries’ airspace. However, military aircraft entering another country’s Air Defense Identification Zone should notify the country in advance of their flight plan and location at the time of entry. This is an international practice.
Nevertheless, China and Russia have been sending military aircraft into KADIZ about once or twice a year since 2019, under the pretext of joint training, without prior notice. China insists that such flights are not a problem under international law. This can be easily understood by the fact that the Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced through its official SNS account on the same day, “According to the annual cooperation plan of the military of China and Russia, the two countries organized and conducted the 7th joint air strategic patrol in the East Sea and the East China Sea-related airspace on the 14th.”
Chinese and Russian military aircraft have previously entered KADIZ in May and November of last year. It is also known that simultaneous entry into KADIZ occurred about six months after June 6th of this year. It seems unnecessary to elaborate on the fact that they will continue to enter frequently in the future.
By. Soon Do Hong
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